Construction of ships.



No. 705,342. ,Patented July 22,1902.

R. T. GREEN.

CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS.

(Application filed Feb. 1, 1902.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

o 0 D O u O 0 o j I v 2 N i. :2

\A/IISEEEEE:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD T. GREEN, OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONSTRUCTION OF SH|PS..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 705,342, dated July 22, 1902. Application filed February 1,1.l02. Serial No. 92,095. (No model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD T. GREEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Everett, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Ships, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention consists in improvements in the construction of barges, lighters, and ships, whether for steam or sail propulsion or for towing purposes; and while the principles of construction which characterize my improvements are applicable to the building of steel or iron or composite built vessels they are nevertheless so far productive of special economies and advantages in the construction of wooden vessels that I will describe themas embodied in a wooden ship or barge.

In the drawings, which exhibitan embodiment of my improvements and inventions, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, along the line 1 1, Fig. 2, of a ship or'barge built according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a body plan of the same vessel, shown with the deck and part of the floor-ceiling removed.

Fig. 3 is a half-section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional detail on the line 4, Fig. 1, looking downward.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional detail on the line 5, Fig. 1, looking downward.

The body of the vessel is composed of a framework whose elements reduced to their simplest terms consist of a system of longitudinal floor-timbers, bottom planking or skin, whereby these floor-timbers are joined together and the bottom made water-tight, vertical side trusses which extend substantially from end to end of the vessel and midshiptrusses extending substantially from end to end of the vessel, and side planking, laid in tiers, of which the strakes are secured not only to each other, but also to the members of the side trusses, which in this respect stand to the said planking or skin in the usual relation of timbers. however, that my ship construction, presently to be described in detail, enables the builder to dispense with the usual floor and side frames of a vessel and to substitute therefor a much simpler and more economical con- It should be understood,

struction. It is notoriously true that vessels of the ordinary construction are ill-adapted to meet bending or twisting strains which affect the entire structure, and are, in fact, so weak as a whole that unless they are evenly water-borne they are sure to become distorted or hogged. A vast amount of material, too, is expended in constructing vessels in the ordinary manner, and this by its weight adds an element of weakness entirely dispro-- the butts break joint. The outside timber of this system is heavier than the other timbers and constitutes the chime-log a. The chimelog a difiers from the floor-timbers A in that it is bent inward and upward at the bow and stern of the vessel, so as to conform to the proper entrance and clearance lines. The timbers A,as well as the chime-log a, are also bent upward from the plane of the midship portion of the bottom, rising to form the run of the vessel at about thepoint marked A, Fig. 1, and at the bow at or near the point marked A, Fig. 1. Where this upward bending occurs, and, in fact, wherever the floor-timbers A are curved, these timbers are laid double, breaking joints, so as to avoid the weaknesses which would result from the presence of butts extending entirely across the timber.

At A in Fig. 3 I have indicated adouble timber as distinguished from the single timbers A. It may be considered advisable to double all the floor-timbers'from end to end of the vessel in order to make each timber approachasnearly as possible to the condition of a continuous girder; but I believe that in most'inst'ances the construction will be sufficiently strong it the floor-timbers are laid single along thehorizontal floor and only double at the points where bending takes place.

The bottom planking or outer skin Bis laid transversely and, where it is practicable, in single lengths from one chime-log a" to the other, and these transverse bottom planks are securely fastened to each floor-timber A and to the chime-log a. \Vhen. as is usual, the seams between the planks B are calked, the entire bottom planking or skin will give rigidity to the floor of the vessel and reinforce the floor-timbers A. Additional strength may readily be afforded by laying the ceiling B athwart the vessel on top of the floor-timbers A, securing this inner skin to the tim bers A and chime-logs a, as in the case of the outer skin B. The side planking or skin of the vessel is built as shown in Fig. 3, the planks or strakes F being placed one above the other and fastened to each other by fasteuings,such asf. These fastenings are bolts, each of which extends through two planks F and into a third. These are inserted in progressive steps, as shown in Fig. 1, so that they bind the side planks of the vessel securely together and to the chime-log a. The side thus built up is in itself an important element of strength and stiffness and yet need be little, if any, heavier than the usual planking applied to the side of a ship.

Inside the planking or side skin F, I build the truss-frame, (generally designated as X, Figs. 1 and 2). This consists of stanchions M and cross-braces N, the stanchions being spaced so as to stand directly under the decktimbers G. The deck-timbers G are laid upon the ends of the stanchions M, which in turn rest at their lower ends upon the chimelogs a or upon the skin or ceiling directly over the chime-logs. Knees O and P are bolted to the stanchions M, the floor-timbers A, and the deck-timbers G. In order still further to bind this structure firmly together, I provide the through-bolts m, which pass through the stanchions M, which may be bored out for the purpose and are headed or seated at the top of the deck-timbers G and on the under side of the chime-logs at 'm. These bolts maybe located at the sides of the stanchions M and p be double or single, as desired. Their function is to bind the framework, consisting of the chime-logs a and floor-timbers A with the side trusses X and deck-timbers G. The side planks F are secured by fastenings f to the stanchions M, and also to the cross-frames N.

Fore and aft and along the midship-line of the vessel I lay a keelson a, directly over the middle floor-timber A, and upon this keelson a I erect a truss-frame, (generally desig nated in Figs. 1 and 2 at Y.) This truss-frame Y is composed of upright stanchions Q and cr0ss-braces B. On the top of this trussframe Y there is laid a stringer g, on which rest the deck-timbers G. Here again in order to bind the framework securelyI employ the vertical bolts g, which pass through the decktimbers G, stringer g, stanchions Q, keelson a, and middle floor-timber A. The deck-planks may be laid over the deck-timbers G in the usual manner, and the hatchway U is built in the ordinary way.

If the vessel is to be provided with spars, as T, Fig. 1, these maybe stepped at one side of the midship-truss Y in the manner now commonly employed in centerboard-schooners, where the mainmast is stepped out of the midship line and at one side of the centerboard box.

It now remains to explain some of the details of the construction, which while subordinate to the above-described main features are nevertheless of convenience and importance.

The vessel is provided at the bow with the stemson E, of which the foot steps upon the dead-wood of the forefoot D. The midship floor-timber A butt-s against the after side of the stemson E, whereto it is secured by the knee J, said knee being bolted to the floor-timber and stemson in the usual manner. In order further to strengthen and reinforce the bow of the vessel, I provide pointers or struts L, which abut against the knee J at Z and against the deck-frame G at 1, Fig. 1.

In Figs. 4 and 5 there is exhibited the man ner in which the chime-logs a are joined to the ends of the parallel floor-timbers A and also to the stemson E. Each chime-log is steamed and bent to conform to the designed line of the bow, and the ends of the floor-timbers A are beveled ofi, so as to lie snugly against the inner side of the chime-log, to which they are fastened, as by bolts a". The sides of the stemson E are chamfered, so that the natural spring of the chime-logs 0. brings them to a proper fit against the stemson. Through-bolts e, passing through the chimelogs and stemson, secure the three named members together. The seams between the chime-log and stemson may then be calked, so that in the event of an accident happening to the external stem E the vessel would not necessarily spring aleak. The stem E is fitted to the front side of the stemson E and to the ends of the chime-logs a and is bolted to the stemson by the bolts 6.

The planks F are bent to the sides of the stemson E in the same manner as the chimelogs a and are shown in Fig. 5 fastened to the stemson by the bolts f Here again the seams between the planks F and stemson E are calked, so that the stem E may be entirely removed without necessarily causing the vessel to leak.

The keel K, forefoot deadwood D and after dead-wood D are merely external appendages to the body-frame of the vessel to which they are bolted. The bottom planks B, extending as they do from side to side, form a water-tight skin, so that even serious injury to the external portions D, D, K, and E may be sustained without rendering the vessel itself any less tight or seaw0rthy.'

At the stern of the vessel the chime-log a and longitudinal floor-timbers A'are joined to the transom V, Figs. 1 and 2, to which they are bolted by through-bolts o.

Ihave shownin the drawings a vessel which is rectangularly shaped at its middle body and wherein the floor departs from a flat plane onlyin one direction and leaves all the transverse bottom planks B perfectly straight. The principal and characteristic elements of my construction may, however, be employed in vessels having either a convex or concave floor, in which the floor-timbers A would be bent upward or possibly twisted in order to conform to the design and shape of the vessels bottom.

Among the advantages incidental to this construction may be enumerated the freedom with which the bottom can be pierced to admit propeller-shafts, rudder-post trunks, and the like without in any case cutting into or weakening the frame of the vessel. Aside also from the strength afforded by this construction it will be observed that the ship builder need provide himself only with straight stock, as the curvature required by the design can easily be obtained by steaming and bending.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a vessel, the combination of'a floor composed of longitudinal parallel floor-timbers and an outer planking or skin, chimelogs at the bilge edges of the floor, substantially parallel with the floor-timbers in the middle body of the vessel and curved inward at the bow, the ends of the floor-timbers being secured to the chime-logs when the latter curve inward, side trusses, mounted on the chime-logs and extending upward to the deckfrain'es, deck-frames, knees secured to the stanchions of the side trusses to the floor and deck-frames and side planking secured to the said side trusses.

2. In a vessel, the combination of a floor composed of longitudinal parallel floortimbers and an outer planking or skin, chimelogs at the bilge edges of the fioor, substantially parallel with the floor-timbers in the middle body of the vessel and curved inward at the how, the ends of the floor-timbers being secured to the chime-logs when the latter curve inward, side trusses, mounted on the chime-logs and extending upward to the deckframes, deck-frames, and side planking secured to the said side frames;

3. In a vessel, the combination of a floor composed of parallel longitudinal floor-timbers, an outer skin secured to the floor-timbers, vertical longitudinal side trusses, side planking secured thereto, and an external stem and an after dead-wood secured to the outside of the vessel independently of the Water-excluding skin or planking.

4. In a vessel, the combination of parallel longitudinal floor-timbers, chime-logs, substantially parallel to the floor-timbers in the middle body of the vessel,'and bent inward to a stemson, and the chime-logs secured to the stemson, substantially as described.

Signed by me at Boston, Sufi'olk county, Massachusetts, this 27th day of January, 1902.

RICHARD T, GREEN. Witnesses: V

ETOON GRoLL,

FRANK S. HARTNETT. 

